[Tailback]

why don't these planes have fighter cover?

[Chu Gary]

"why don't these planes have fighter cover?"

Well, when you're in a flight over obviously international territory, there is no technical need for CAP. I imagine, even now, that the recon flights along the coast of China may not have CAP. When I was on recon along the coast of NVN, we didn't have it and we flew 30 miles off the coast.